Binet’s Big Night Not Enough in Southern Miss Heartbreaker at Marshall

Djahi Binet’s 31-point double-double just wasn’t enough to win a tight one at Marshall.

Djahi Binet poured in 31 points at Marshall, but it wasn't enough to get Southern Miss over the hump. / @SouthernMissMBB / X

The Southern Miss men’s basketball team hit the road for a Sun Belt regular-season matchup at Marshall on Wednesday night, looking to improve its position in the conference standings. Unfortunately, despite battling hard in a tough environment, the Golden Eagles ultimately fell to the Thundering Herd, 81-77.

With the loss, Southern Miss dropped to 12-13 overall and 6-7 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Marshall improved to 15-8 overall and 7-4 in conference.

From the opening tip, Southern Miss made it clear it was not intimidated by the environment. Izzy Hart set the tone early, drilling back-to-back threes to get the Eagles rolling. That rhythm became contagious, as Curt Lewis, Dalyn Brandon, and Fallou Diagne all connected from deep, giving Southern Miss one of its most efficient shooting halves of the season from beyond the arc.

In what largely became a defensive battle, the difference in three-point shooting separated the two teams early. As a team, the Eagles went 6-16 from three in the first half. On the other end, Marshall struggled mightily, knocking down just 1-14 attempts for an uncharacteristic seven percent. However, the Thundering Herd stayed within striking distance by attacking the rim, capitalizing on dribble-drive penetration and post play, as Southern Miss struggled to limit high-percentage looks inside.

Southern Miss also controlled the glass in the opening half, fueled by Djahi Binet’s work on the boards as he piled up a first-half double-double. Despite Marshall’s interior success, the Eagles carried a slim 34–31 lead into the break.

Southern Miss opened the second half with energy and physicality, getting quick baskets from Dylan Brumfield and Binet. Unfortunately, the hot shooting from deep didn’t follow them out of the locker room, as the Eagles converted just four threes in the second half. Meanwhile, Marshall found its rhythm, burying seven triples after halftime.

Following the early Southern Miss buckets, Marshall rattled off an 18–9 run, grabbing its first lead of the night at the 11:32 mark on a corner three from Wyatt Fricks. That momentum carried the Herd forward, as they stretched the lead to ten after an Erich Harding free throw with just over three minutes remaining.

Still, the Golden Eagles refused to fold. In chaotic fashion, they clawed all the way back to within one, capped by a Brumfield layup with just four seconds left. In the end, though, it simply wasn’t meant to be. Marshall avoided turning the ball over, and calmly knocked down clutch free throws to seal the win.

Binet was the best player on the floor, leading all scorers and rebounders with a monster 31-point, 15-rebound performance. His physicality and relentless work on the offensive glass kept Southern Miss alive when the offense stalled. Hart added 11 points, hitting 3-8 from deep, while Lewis chipped in 10 points with three triples of his own. Chiante’ Tramble led the Eagles in assists with three.

Statistically, Southern Miss did a lot right. The Eagles shot a higher percentage from three (37 percent), nearly matched Marshall’s free-throw attempts with 21 makes, and won the rebounding battle 40–30. The difference came down to efficiency and mistakes, as Marshall posted a far superior assist-to-turnover ratio (19 assists to 11 turnovers) compared to Southern Miss (13 assists to 14 turnovers). As Bobby Knight famously said, the team that makes the fewest mistakes is usually the one that wins, and that was certainly the case in this game.

The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back Saturday afternoon, returning to Hattiesburg for a 2 p.m. matchup against Kent State as part of the MAC–SBC Challenge.

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